Steering wheels as the steering device for a vehicle, which is to be steered in the usual way by turning the steering wheel, are fundamentally known. In particular, there are known steering wheels having a central part disposed in a stationary position with respect to a rotatably mounted steering wheel rim for steering the vehicle. For example, DE 3 940 391 C2 discloses a steering wheel for a motor vehicle, wherein a central part disposed in the steering wheel is mounted in a stationary position.
In addition, it is known and in certain countries it is necessary to provide an airbag in the central part of the steering wheel as a safety device for a user in the event of a collision of the vehicle. For example, DE 19 503 816 A1 discloses a driver airbag disposed in a central portion of the steering wheel.
Finally, it is also known that operating elements for functions of the motor vehicle can also be integrated into a central part of a steering wheel, as is known from EP 1 762 421 A1, for example.
In the event of deployment of a driver airbag in a collision of a motor vehicle, it is necessary to ensure that, among other things, parts of the vehicle disposed above and adjacent to the airbag do not interfere with deployment of the airbag, but also in particular there should not be any additional risk of injury associated with deployment of the airbag, such as splinters formed on the cover of the airbag. In the case of a driver airbag, this is achieved by a suitable separate arrangement for additional functionalities in the central part of the steering wheel. Therefore, the space provided for the airbag is kept free of other functionalities, such as operating elements, for example, by not setting them up in such regions of the central part, where the surfaces belong to the airbag cover which must be opened in the event of deployment of the airbag to allow it to be unfolded.
Therefore, most of the surface of the central part of a steering wheel is usually lost to the airbag functionality.
In modern vehicles it is desirable to display for the user required user information in the most ergonomic way possible as well as intuitively. For example, this may include information about the condition of the vehicle, navigation information, information associated with the vehicle entertainment system, etc., to name but a few examples. In today's vehicles, some of these user information displays are located in the central region of the cockpit, for example, in or between the usual instrument for speed and engine rpm, if necessary. Alternatively or additionally, it is known that one or more display screens of the user information system may be installed in a central region of the dashboard and in combination with a radio and/or navigation device. Relevant information for the driver of a vehicle is thus distributed among various displays and therefore to various locations.
In known vehicles, the operation of numerous functionalities of the vehicle is distributed among a wide variety of input means and input locations. For example, operating elements for the seat adjustment are often located at the side of a seat and can be touched only while driving and must be operated without sight. The operating elements for a seat heater, which may optionally be present, are in turn frequently disposed at another location, for example, on the dashboard.
The situation is similar for the operating elements for other functionality which will not be listed here conclusively such as an air conditioning system, a rear window wiper, a rear window heating system, a multimedia/entertainment system, a navigation device, a mobile phone, etc.
Since there are no binding standards for the arrangement of most operating elements in a motor vehicle, the circumstances described above may result in increased distraction of the user, in particular if the user is not yet fully familiar with the operation of the individual functionalities. This also relates in particular to those functionalities that are not needed regularly or very frequently.
There are known vehicles having a central input device for a larger number of the aforementioned functionalities, for example, in the manner of a so-called jog shuttle operating element. The user must nevertheless keep the corresponding visual acknowledgments in sight on a display in the vehicle associated with the respective functionality while controlling them.